Little known fact about moi: Though I'm the GeekyDad (my screen name on most gaming sites) with a wife and three children, I was the youngest of five kids in my family -- the baby. My closest brother is a year and a half older than me, so we did pretty much everything together.
However, my other three siblings are like 10, 12 and 14 years apart from me in age (yeah, my mom was busy, but hey, it was the 50s/60s). What's the point?
I know what it's like to look at what my big brothers and sister are doing and wish I could tag along. Being too young, however, I always had to stick to what kids my age were meant to do -- play on the Atari 2600, fool with a bunch of Star Wars figures, or go roam around the apartment complex with my other, young friends.
The Wii is kinda like that, and IGN is kinda like my brother, Dale -- always trying to convince my mom, "Oh, ma', he's old enough. Why don't you let him come with us just this once." Not gonna happen. See, you just don't let an 8-year old go to a concert, even if he's with his 18-year-old bro.
Gamers (and I'm not talking about everyone who bought a Wii -- but real gamers, regardless of age) who only own a Wii keep holding out that one day it will open up to those "other" games that PS3 and 360 have. That day shall never come. Sure, there are a handful of "hardcore" titles out there -- we all know them by name and can count them on one hand -- but how successful have they been?
But what's the rush to grow up anyway? There's nothing wrong with playing hide and seek, catching frogs, or cutting open a Stretch Arm Strong doll to see the gel inside. Those things were all great fun, and when my interests truly changed, I moved on to BMX bikes, rockets and...girls (where it all seems to pretty much end, really).
The Wii is the little brother/sister. It might get a peek at adult content late at night while it's supposed to be in bed, but mom's never going to willingly let it go and see Nightmare on Elm St. But that's okay. Wii doesn't have to worry about getting a job or live up to any particular standards. For now, it can just go out and play.
(This post was inspired by a preview I wrote for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on Wii.)
